I Blame Myself
by Winddragon Eternal
Summary: It's Cookie Chomper III's death anniversary, and Alvin still blames himself for letting it happen. Can anyone help Alvin to learn to forgive himself?


This is my first fanfic. And I don't own Alvin and the Chipmunks. Enjoy and please review!

**I Blame Myself**

Most kids would have spent their weekend mornings occupying themselves with fun stuff to do, from watching their favourite morning cartoons to playing outside and enjoying the fresh air. But today, in the Seville household, those things were far from the minds of the Chipmunks.

All three of them were in the living room, with an aura of dreariness engulfing the place. Simon was holding _Advanced Molecular Chemistry _in his hands, but he wasn't reading it. Theodore sat on the couch, his usual cheery smile replaced by a moping frown. And Alvin lay on the floor, his head resting on his hands and staring endlessly at the ceiling.

Dave entered and was surprised to see how gloomy his boys were. "Fellas, why don't you go outside and play. Or you could do something else? It is Saturday, after all."

Simon was the first to break the silence. "No thanks, Dave. We're not exactly in the mood right now."

"Uh, okay. You sure you guys will be alright?"

"We'll be fine, Dave," said Theodore.

"Positively," Alvin added.

As Dave left the boys to work on his music, his eyes caught a glimpse of the calendar hanging on the wall. He took one look at today's date. And then it hit him.

It had been two years. Two years to the day since their cat, Cookie Chomper III, was knocked over by a car and passed away. Dave knew how hard the boys had felt over Cookie's death, but he thought that they had gotten over the painful ordeal already.

He went back to join the Chipmunks and they sat together on the couch. "Boys, I know why you're feeling so down. And I know what today is. Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing much, Dave," said Simon. "We're just having our moment of silence. I'm sure Cookie Chomper III would have appreciated that."

"You okay, Theo?" asked Dave, who noticed that Theodore's eyes were swelling with tears.

"I...I still miss him." Theodore choked back a sob and smiled sadly. "But, didn't you say that death is a part of life?"

Dave pulled Theodore into a hug. "That's right. I'm glad you're able to cope with this."

All the while, Alvin remained silent and in a trance-like mode. This was very unusual given the fact that Alvin was the liveliest of his brothers and he was full of spirit to get himself into trouble.

"Alvin, is there something bothering you?"

"Uh -what? Oh, I'm fine Dave. Just feeling a little blue, that's all."

Dave and the Chipmunks got into a group hug and reassured them that everything was going to be fine. Then Alvin got up and headed for the stairs.

"Alvin, where are you going?" asked Dave.

"To my room. Got some cleaning up to do."

"You're not exactly the tidy type, are you Alvin?" Simon pointed out.

"It'll take my mind off things," Alvin replied hastily. And with that, he dashed to his room and slammed the door.

The rest of the day passed by with Simon and Theodore helping out Dave with the household chores, which seemed to put them in better spirits. Dave told them that he'd take them out for pizza for dinner as a reward and to cheer them up. It was time to leave, but Alvin still hadn't come out of his room since morning.

"Simon, Theodore, would you please go call Alvin and tell him it's time to leave?"

"Sure, Dave!" The two brothers bounded up the stairs. Simon knocked on their bedroom door.

"Alvin? Dave's taking us out for dinner!" called Simon.

"Yeah, and we're having pizza! My favourite!" Theodore licked his lips.

"Theodore, every source of food in the world is your favourite."

Simon knocked on the door again. No answer. "Alvin?" The two brothers gave each other concerned looks. Simon pushed the door and it swung wide open.

Alvin was lying on his bed with his back turned towards them. From the looks of it, he was shivering and holding tightly onto something.

Simon and Theodore went over to Alvin, and noticed that he was fully awake. But what surprised them was that his eyes were red and puffy; his pillow was stained with drops of water. And he was hugging Theodore's teddy bear.

"Alvin? Have you been crying?" Simon asked.

"And what are you doing with Teddy?" inquired Theodore.

Alvin sniffed. "I'm fine. It's just something in my eye, that's all."

"No, you're not fine, I know it." Simon insisted. He and Theodore sat on both sides of Alvin's bed. "Alvin, what's wrong with you?"

And then Alvin couldn't take it anymore. He burst into tears again, covering his face with his hands. "I'M A MURDERER! AND IT'S ALL MY STUPID, STINKING FAULT!"

Theodore put an arm around Alvin's shoulder. "What is your fault, Alvin? You didn't kill anyone – you wouldn't."

"BUT I DID! I KILLED COOKIE CHOMPER! HE DIED BECAUSE OF ME!"

"Alvin, that's ridiculous! Nobody blames you. We all blamed ourselves for letting this happen, but Dave told us it wasn't our fault, remember?" said Simon.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Alvin rounded on Theodore. "Theo, would you still have given your Teddy to Cookie even if he slept with you, or any of us?"

"Yes. Teddy was his favourite."

"And Simon, would you still have made that bed for Cookie to sleep in?"

"Of course. Pets need their own space, just like we have our own beds."

"THEN IT IS MY FAULT!" Alvin wailed. "HE WENT UP TO THE WINDOW BECAUSE I TOOK HIS BEAR AWAY FROM HIM! AND THEN HE FELL OUT AND GOT RUN OVER! I MURDERED COOKIE CHOMPER! ALL BECAUSE OF A STUPID BEAR!"

It wasn't like Alvin to be emotional, but right now he felt like a baby; a complete wreck. He just sat there bawling his eyes out while his brothers pressed closer to him, trying to reassure his feelings.

Dave came into the room, saw what the commotion was about, and sat on Alvin's bed. He scooped up Alvin and cradled him, letting his son's tears wash over while he whispered "Shh, there, there. It's alright, Alvin."

And slowly, Alvin regained his composure. He looked at Dave. "I'm sorry, Dave. Do you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you, Alvin? You're my son, and I love you no matter what." Dave gave Alvin's hair a gentle ruffle.

"But Cookie Chomper's dead because of me! I'm guilty of cat murder!" Alvin started to sob.

"Don't say that!" Dave's voice was stern, but he hugged Alvin tighter and wiped his tears. "Nobody blames you, Alvin. What happened to Cookie Chomper was not your fault. We can't predict life or death, but what we can do is learn to appreciate the people around us while it lasts."

Alvin smiled. "Thanks, Dave. I needed that." He turned to face Simon and Theodore. "I'm sorry I acted so harshly, guys."

"It's okay, we forgive you," smiled Simon.

"One for all, and three for one," Theodore added.

As the three chipmunks and their father figure resolved everything with a hug and a kiss, Alvin could have sworn he heard a faint meow in the air.

Or was it just the rustling of the wind?

But whatever it was, Alvin knew Cookie Chomper III and his family would be close to his heart.

And he would never let the beautiful memories fade away...


End file.
